Hala Nagy

Clinical and biochemical predictors of increased carotid intima-media thickness in overweight and obese adolescents with type 2 diabetes.

Objective: To identify the clinical parameters associated with increased carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in overweight and obese adolescents with type 2 diabetes. Methods: We studied 27 patients (11 males) with type 2 diabetes. Criteria for selection were age (12–19 years), body mass index above the 95th percentile for age and gender, a positive family history of diabetes, normal or high C-peptide, and negative studies for islet cell antibodies. Age- and gender-matched healthy subjects were selected as the control group. Measurements of CIMT, lipid profile, hypersensitive C-reactive protein, hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), and insulin resistance by homeostasis model of assessment (HOMA) were obtained for all participants. Results: CIMT was higher in diabetic patients than in healthy subjects (0.68 ± 0.16 vs. 0.58 ± 0.1, p < 0.01). The range of HbA1C in the 15 patients with uncontrolled diabetes was 7.6–10.4 (mean: 8.9 ± 0.9). CIMT, HbA1C, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, HOMA, and C-reactive protein were significantly higher in patients with uncontrolled than with controlled diabetes. In diabetic patients, CIMT correlated positively with body mass index (p < 0.001), duration of diabetes (p < 0.001), systolic (p < 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.01), HbA1C (p < 0.001), HOMA (p < 0.01), and C-reactive protein (p < 0.01). Conclusions: CIMT is increased in adolescents with type 2 diabetes. Poor glycemic control, HOMA, increased C-reactive protein, body mass index, duration of diabetes, and elevated blood pressure are associated with early atherosclerosis in these patients.

Prevalence of hepatitis C infection among children with β-thalassaemia major in Mid Delta, Egypt: a single centre study

BACKGROUND Transfusion dependant patients are at a higher risk of acquiring bloodborne infections even under conditions of safe transfusion. This study was designed to determine sero-prevalence of hepatitis C infection and possible associated risk factors in thalassaemic children. METHODS One hundred and twenty five children with β thalassaemia major (β-TM) were recruited from the Haematology/Oncology Unit, Paediatric Department, Tanta University Hospital, Egypt, between April 2010 and October 2011. Patients underwent history taking, full clinical examination, routine investigations and venous blood sampling. Serum was stored at -20°C till tested for hepatitis C (HCV Ab) and B (HBsAg) by ELISA. HCV Ab positive cases were confirmed by PCR. RESULTS All patients were HBsAg negative. HCV Ab ELISA was positive in 76%, negative in 20% and equivocal in 4%. Fifty patients (40%) had positive PCR for HCV. PCR showed low viraemia in 78%, moderate viraemia in 20% and high viraemia in 2%. A positive family history of HCV, history of minor operative intervention and/or dental procedures were significantly associated with higher frequency of HCV infection in thalassaemic children, while amount and frequency of transfused blood, age at transfusion and chelation state were not. CONCLUSION HCV infection is highly prevalent in children with β-TM in Egypt despite strict pre-transfusion blood testing. This should arouse the attention for environmental and community acquired factors. Quality management to insure infection control in minor operative procedures and adding more sensitive tests for blood screening are recommended.

Assessment of the efficacy and safety of single platelet-rich plasma injection on different types and grades of facial wrinkles.

Platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) is considered as a growing modality for tissue regeneration and a developing research area for clinicians and researchers. PRP injection treatment provides supraphysiological concentrations of growth factors that may help in accelerated tissue remodeling and regeneration.

Toll-like receptor 9 in systemic lupus erythematosus, impact on glucocorticoid treatment

Aim: To assess TLR9 expression in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, its correlation with disease activity, and impact of TLR9 expression on the response to oral glucocorticoids. Methods: Twenty-five active SLE, 15 inactive, and 15 control subjects were included. Anti-DNA, ANA, C3, C4, and TLR9 mRNA expressions were assessed. Active SLE patients only received oral steroid for 6 weeks. Post therapy, they were classified into steroid sensitive and steroid resistant. Data were reassessed after treatment. Results: SLEDAI, anti-DNA, ANA, and TLR9 expressions were significantly higher in active SLE patients. Based on retrograde analysis, TLR9 expression was significantly higher in steroid-resistant versus steroid-sensitive group before treatment, with no significant difference between them after treatment. There was a significant positive correlation between TLR9 expression and SLEDAI score and anti-DNA and negative correlation with C3 and C4 in all patients. Conclusion: TLR9 may play a role in the pathogenesis of SLE and correlates with the disease activity. Corticosteroids have no effect on TLR9 expression, explaining lack of corticosteroid response in some SLE patients. TLR 9 expression can be used in predicting glucocorticoid response in active SLE patients. New treatment modalities targeting TLR9 expression may be of value in steroid-resistant patients.

The role of chemokine CC ligand 20 in patients with liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background and aim To evaluate the role of chemokine CC ligand 20 (CCL20) as a biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients and methods Ninety patients in four groups were enrolled in this prospective cross-sectional study: 30 with HCC (group I), 30 with liver cirrhosis (group II), 15 with hepatitis C virus infection (group III), and 15 healthy blood donors as controls. Alpha fetoprotein (AFP), CCL20 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were measured in all groups. Results Serum levels of CCL20 were significantly different among the study groups (F=230.979, p<0.001). The highest level was found in HCC patients (57.305 ± 6.386 pg/mL) followed by patients with cirrhosis (45.999 ± 5.165 pg/mL) compared with 22.781 ± 5.986 pg/mL and 18.585 ± 3.554 pg/mL in asymptomatic patients with HCV infection and controls, respectively. In HCC patients, CCL20 significantly correlated with VEGF (r=0.559, p=0.001), AFP (r=0.814, p<0.001), Child score (r=0.748, p<0.001), and tumor size (r=0.825, p<0.001). The cutoff value of CCL20 for the detection of HCC in HCV-infected patients was 54 pg/mL with 93.1% accuracy, 89.6% negative predictive value, 92.6% positive predictive value, 83.3% sensitivity, and 93.3% specificity. In patients with cirrhosis, CCL20 significantly correlated with VEGF (r=0.455, p=0.011), AFP (r=0.975, p<0.001), and Child score (r=0.977, p<0.001). Conclusion CCL20 may be used for the detection of HCC in HCV-infected patients with comparable specificity and higher sensitivity than AFP.

Cytokeratin-19 fragments, nucleosomes and neuron-specific enolase as early measures of chemotherapy response in non-small cell lung cancer

Aim To investigate the reduction in the serum level of cytokeratin-19 fragments (CYFRA 21–1), nucleosomes and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) as early measures of the response to chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods Forty-two consecutive patients with locally advanced NSCLC were included. All patients received platinum-based chemotherapy. Staging investigations and quantification of CYFRA 21–1, nucleosomes and NSE (using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, ELISA) were performed before the start of treatment and after the second cycle of chemotherapy. According to the response to chemotherapy, patients were classified into 3 groups: (I) disease regression, (II) stable disease, and (III) progressive disease. The reduction in the levels of tumor markers was correlated with the response to chemotherapy. Results After the second cycle of chemotherapy, groups I and II had significantly decreased serum levels of CYFRA 21–1 (p<0.05). Similarly, the concentration of nucleosomes was significantly lower than the baseline levels in groups I (p=0.0008) and II (p=0.003). The reduction of both CYFRA 21–1 and nucleosome levels was not significant for patients in group III. In all groups the reduction of NSE levels in response to chemotherapy was not significant. As a marker of response to chemotherapy, CYFRA 21–1 showed the highest sensitivity (88.9%) and specificity (77.4%) compared with nucleosomes (77.8% and 58.1% respectively) and NSE (66.7% and 51.8% respectively). Conclusion The reduction in the serum level of CYFRA 21–1 and nucleosomes may be used for early identification of NSCLC patients with good response to chemotherapy.

Apoptotic and anti-apoptotic seromarkers for assessment of disease severity of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS This study aimed to find out non-invasive markers for the assessment of severity of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in an attempt to decrease the need for liver biopsy. It also aimed to evaluate the key role of apoptosis in the pathogenesis of the disease and the suggested role of anti-apoptotic factors in therapeutic modalities and disease prognosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS The serum levels of soluble Fas (s. Fas), s. Fas ligand, cytokeratin 18 (CK-18) fragment and Bcl-2 were measured in 80 patients and 15 non-hepatic subjects as control. The patients were divided based on histological examination of liver biopsy into three groups. Group I included 40 patients with NASH, group II had 40 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) non-NASH and group III had 15 non-hepatic subjects as control. Apoptosis of hepatocytes was assessed by morphological examination using a light microscope and expressed as number per square millimetre. RESULTS There was a significant increase in the serum levels of s. Fas, s. Fas ligand and CK-18 fragments in the NASH group. The anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 showed significantly low levels in NASH patients. Apoptosis of hepatocytes was significantly higher in the NASH group. The degree of apoptosis was inversely correlated with the level of Bcl-2. A significant correlation between both s. Fas and CK-18 fragment with liver histology with regard to lobular inflammation and ballooning was found. CONCLUSIONS Increased serum levels of s. Fas and CK-18 fragment in the NASH group and its correlation with the severity of disease suggested the key role of apoptosis in NASH pathogenesis which can be used for the assessment of the severity of NASH. A high level of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 in NAFLD suggests its protective role in disease progress.

A study of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α as inflammatory markers in COPD patients

Aim To assess the diagnostic value of interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) as inflammatory markers in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Methods and results IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α levels were measured by ELISA in the serum and the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in 10 control participants and 25 mild and moderate COPD patients, whereas 25 patients with severe COPD were studied for the serum level of these inflammatory biomarkers. The mean value and SD of BAL and serum IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α levels were significantly higher in COPD patients when compared with control participants; the serum level of these biomarkers were also significantly higher in severe compared with mild and moderate COPD patients. Conclusion Increased srum and/or BAL IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α can be used as biomarkers of the systemic inflammatory response in COPD patients, and their levels are correlated with the severity of COPD. Egypt J Broncho 2014 8:91-99 ͹ 2014 Egyptian Journal of Bronchology.

Evaluation of immune status against hepatitis B in children with thalassemia major in Egypt: A single center study

Objectives: Thalassemic children with repeated blood transfusion are at higher risk of suffering transfusion related infections including hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV vaccine immunogenicity in several studies showed variable response rates. The aim of this study is to evaluate the immunogenic effect of hepatitis B vaccine in thalassemic children at different age groups. Materials and methods: After ethical approval and informed parent consent, 125 diagnosed thalassemic patients were recruited from the Hematology/Oncology Unit, Pediatric Department, Tanta University Hospital. Patient’s transfusion, and vaccination history, clinical data, and blood samples were obtained. Patient’s sera were stored at -20°C till tested for Anti-hepatitis B surface (anti-HBs) by ELISA. Patients with titers <10 IU were tested for HBs-Ag. Results: Although none of our cases had hepatitis B virus infection, only 20.8% had a protective anti-HBs titer (>10 IU/L). Significantly higher percentage of protected patients (40.1%) were younger than 3 years of age, while age groups above 3years showed a significant trend towards having non protective titers (p=0.003). Anti-HBs titers weren’t correlated to age, ferritin, liver enzymes, and duration of transfusion or number of transfused packs. Conclusion: Protective Anti-HBs titer was reduced after age of 3 years in our patients. So, we recommend screening of thalassemic patients at age of 3 years to evaluate the need of a booster dose. J Microbiol Infect Dis 2012; 2(2): 44-49

Urinary level of vitamin D-binding protein as a new biomarker for diabetic nephropathy

Diabetes is now the major cause of end-stage kidney failure, both in developing and developed nations. It is the primary diagnosis causing kidney diseases in 20-40% of patients starting treatment for end-stage renal diseases worldwide. The aim of the study was to evaluate the urinary level of vitamin D-binding protein (UVDBP) as a new biomarker for diabetic nephropathy (DN). Urine samples were obtained from 45 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and were classified into three groups (normoalbuminuric, microalbuminuric, and macroalbuminuric). Fifteen healthy participants served as the control group. The excretion levels of UVDBP were quantified with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results showed that UVDBP levels were significantly elevated in patients of the DN3 and DN4 groups compared with those of the DN2 group and normal controls. In conclusion, the current study demonstrated that UVDBP levels were significantly elevated in patients with DN. Moreover, a strong positive correlation was observed between the expression level of UVDBP and the development of DN. Thus, the findings indicate that UVDBP levels are a potential biomarker for the early detection of DN.